KIMBERLEY HAS become the latest South African city to move into the motor vehicle assembly and export market with the launch at the weekend of KIMCARco.
The assembly plant will commence production in approximately 15 months time. It will consist of two body assembly lines and a state-of-the-art paint shop, with production aimed at 20 000 vehicles annually on a single shift basis and double that amount if a double shift is introduced.
The plant and equipment for the new facility have been purchased by a consortium, led by the Kimberley City Council, for $7,2 million from the Motor Company of Botswana, which went into liquidation with the collapse of the Wheels of Africa group.
According to Marlene Viljoen, the Council's public relations officer, three vehicle marques have been secured for the assembly operation and negotiations are proceeding with a fourth. The names of the vehicles to be manufactured cannot be revealed at this stage, she said, as some are also being assembled in parts of South Africa and have to be relocated to Kimberley.
The flexibility of the facility will allow different makes of vehicles to be assembled simultaneously, she said.
Negotiations are proceeding for the vehicles to be railed to East London for export purposes.
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